Comparison

WeightsBook vs Strength Direct

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

WeightsBook

This app offers a digital alternative to traditional paper weightlifting journals. It tracks advanced training metrics and provides tools for both beginners and experienced lifters, including client management for trainers.

Highlights
  • Digital weightlifting journal
  • Advanced exercise tracking (RIR, RPE, partial reps)
  • Superset and drop set support
  • Multiple client diaries
  • Workout and rest timer
  • Workout calendar
Features
Read full description

I’ve been lifting for more than 20 years, and I built WeightsBook because I was tired of workout-logging apps that made a simple job feel complicated. With every app I tried, I came away with the same impression: its designers did not understand how lifters actually use a training journal. As a programmer, I decided to build the app I wanted. I returned to what had always worked—pen and paper—and built from there. While training a friend one day, I realized the same journal idea could help personal trainers: a separate weightsbook for every client, all in one app. That led me to add support for multiple weightsbooks, allowing trainers to record each client’s workouts separately and export or share each one. The result is WeightsBook: a modern lifting log that retains the look, feel, and simplicity of a traditional training journal. Its distinctive handwritten style is intentional. Logging a set should feel like writing it down, not operating a dashboard. Within that familiar design, experienced lifters will find detailed tracking for RPE, RIR, supersets, drop sets, and partial reps. If you have ever abandoned a workout app and gone back to a notebook, WeightsBook was made for you.

About

Strength Direct

This app offers a straightforward and private way to log gym workouts, track progress with insightful data, and generate AI-ready summaries. It's designed for consistency and real improvement without ads or distractions.

Highlights
  • Fast and effortless set/rep logging
  • Actionable progress insights and trends
  • AI-ready training data summaries
  • 100% private, data stays on device
  • Lightweight and reliable offline functionality
  • Minimalist design for focus
Features
Read full description

Focus on your lifting. Free forever. No ads. No subscriptions. No tracking. No account required. Works offline. Strength Direct is a gym workout tracker with the tools you need to train consistently: previous-workout comparisons, reusable routines, automatic rest timers, and clear progress charts. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF See your previous weights and reps beside each set, so you know what to aim for today. Build your own workout templates, start with Push, Pull, or Full Body routines, or repeat a workout from your history. YOUR ROUTINE. YOUR WAY. Choose built-in exercises or create your own. Organize supersets, warm-ups, and drop sets. Add notes, technique reminders, and optional reps in reserve. Track weights and reps, bodyweight exercises, timed holds, cardio, and loaded carries. REST WITHOUT WATCHING THE CLOCK Enable automatic rest timers for working sets and supersets. For supersets, the countdown starts after you log a working set on the final exercise. Customize rest times for each exercise, follow the countdown on your Lock Screen or Dynamic Island on supported devices, and enable notifications for an alert when it’s time for your next set. SEE YOUR WORK PAY OFF Track your training volume and estimated one-rep max over time with clear progress charts. Review individual exercises, strength trends, logged cardio, and body weight. Browse your workout calendar and edit past entries when needed. KEEP CONTROL OF YOUR DATA Your workout history is stored locally. Back up and restore your workout data. For another perspective on your training, copy a structured summary into your preferred AI assistant for feedback. You choose what to share. Log your next workout. Keep progressing.

Screenshots

WeightsBook4 screens
Strength Direct4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Strength Direct at Free against WeightsBook's $4.99. Strength Direct also leads on rating (4.9 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (114 vs 1). WeightsBook's advantage is iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Strength Direct is free to download; WeightsBook costs $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Strength Direct holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Strength Direct has 114 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 80% of WeightsBook's written reviews are positive against 97% of Strength Direct's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

WeightsBook ships an update every 2 weeks, Strength Direct every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
WeightsBook versus Strength Direct: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWeightsBookStrength Direct
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating3.0 (1 ratings)4.9 (114 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.0% of reviews97.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1114 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMike HurwitzArnaud Floesser

Customer experience

WeightsBook

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Strength Direct

All ratings112 ratings
Positive99.1%
Neutral0.9%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews75 reviews
Positive97.3%
Neutral2.7%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

WeightsBook

No in-app purchases

None

Strength Direct

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is WeightsBook free?
WeightsBook costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Strength Direct free?
Strength Direct is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, WeightsBook or Strength Direct?
Strength Direct is rated higher. WeightsBook averages 3.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Strength Direct averages 4.9 from 114 ratings.
Do WeightsBook or Strength Direct have ads?
Neither WeightsBook nor Strength Direct shows ads.
Which is updated more often, WeightsBook or Strength Direct?
WeightsBook ships an update every 2 weeks, and Strength Direct every 9 days. Most recently, WeightsBook was updated on October 7, 2026 and Strength Direct on October 30, 2026.

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